‘Gillian Keegan is right - school buildings are the responsibility of local councils’
After mounting pressure, the Government has finally published a list of around 150 schools identified as having potentially dangerous concrete.
Amid the crisis, Gillian Keegan, the Education Secretary, has been forced to apologise for claiming other people had “sat on their a----” during the emergency.
Also hotly discussed by Telegraph readers was Birmingham City Council declaring effective bankruptcy, Sir Keir Starmer’s reshuffle of the shadow cabinet and Jordan Henderson breaking his silence on his move to Saudi Arabia
Read on to see this week’s biggest talking points from the comments section, Front Page newsletter and the Letters page, and join the conversation in the comments section below.
Concrete crisis
The school concrete crisis has dominated the headlines this week, especially after Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan, made expletive comments at the end of an interview with ITV, unaware that she was still being recorded.
The outburst drew criticism from Tory MPs who believe that Ms Keegan is not fit to stay in Cabinet. However, many Telegraph readers lept to support her and were pleased to see a minister speak plainly for once.
Birmingham City Council declares effective bankruptcy
On Tuesday, it was reported that Birmingham City Council had declared effective bankruptcy after it had been pushed over the edge by equal pay claims. As a result, taxpayers living in the Labour-run council could be hit with a 10 per cent rise in bills.
Readers called for those responsible to be held accountable. Some speculate that the council’s spending on what they deem “woke issues” is to blame, while others caution that the downfall of Birmingham City Council is reflective of what will happen to the rest of the country should Labour get into power
Sir Keir Starmer’s shadow cabinet reshuffle
Sir Keir Starmer carry out a reshuffle of his shadow cabinet on Monday, which saw Angela Rayner replace Lisa Nandy as the new shadow levelling up secretary.
The reshuffle attracted criticism from the chairman of the Conservative Party, Greg Hands, who claimed that it showed the Labour leader has “no new ideas”. Telegraph readers suggested a bleak future would lie ahead for Britain under a Labour government.
Liverpool fans reject Jordan Henderson apology
Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson broke his silence this week over his decision to join Saudi Arabian Pro League side Al-Ettifaq in the summer, despite being a long-standing advocate of gay rights.
In an interview, Henderson admitted he would not wear a rainbow armband or laces in a country which would “disrespect” its beliefs.
Henderson’s also apologised to those who accused him of putting money before morals. Liverpool’s LGBT+ fan group rejected the statement.
Many readers said ideologies should stop being pushed in sport, with a number leaping to Henderson’s defence over the move.